Bottom-ranked KB Insurance snapped a six-game losing streak behind a 30-point performance from Andres Biñena against hometown team Korean Air.
KB Insurance won their Dodram 2023-24 V-League Men’s home match against Korean Airlines 3-1 (25-14, 29-27, 14-25, 25-22) in straight sets at Uijeongbu Gymnasium on Monday.
KB Insurance, which had been on a six-match losing streak since the last match against Korean Air on March 10, once again upset the defending champions. Their head-to-head record this season is even at two wins and two losses.
Last-place KB Insurance turned things around with a record of 17 points (4W-18L).
Playing for Korean Air for two seasons (2019-20, 2020-21), Bijena scored a career-high 30 points for both teams. He also shot 63.64% from the field. Hong Sang-hyuk (13 points), Korean Min (9 points), and Hwang Kyung-min (8 points) also contributed to the win.
At 7-5 in the first set, KB Insurance capitalized on Bijena’s Korean performance and an opponent error to score back-to-back points to go up 11-5. At 19-12, they scored five straight points to easily take the first set.
With the score at 22-24, KB Insurance tied the game at deuce with back-to-back kills from Bjorna and Hong Sang-hyuk, and won the second set at 25-26 with a Bjorna attack following an opponent error.
Three consecutive service aces by Lim Dong-hyuk gave Korean Air a 14-25 lead in the third set.
KB Insurance broke away in the fourth set at 13-13 after a quick opener by Bjorna and a block by Hwang Kyung-min. She followed it up with a service ace. KB Insurance saved match point at 23-22 with a back-attack by Bijena and then sealed the win with an attack error by Lim Dong-hyuk.
Daehan Hangong (12W-10L-38P), which could have moved into second place with 10,000 points, settled for third. Korean Air got 29 points from Lim Dong-hyuk and 18 from Jeong Jung-yong, but it was overshadowed by the team’s loss. Lincoln Williams’ injury replacement, Murad Khan, was limited to four points off the bench.
In the women’s match, Korea Expressway Corporation came from behind to defeat home team IBK IBK 3-1 (24-26, 25-17, 25-14, 25-17). Sixth-ranked Korea Express improved to 22 points (7-15).
Outside hitter Vanya Vukiric scored 35 points, nearly matching her career high (36). Middle blocker Bae Yuna added 21 points, including three blocks and three service points, while rookie Kim Se-bin (eight points) had a team-high four blocks.